Last summer I fell in love with a million things.
Nude nail polish, avocado toast, baked beans on top of eggs, and long walks full of gossip — to name a few.
Also cold beer. I was late to that party, but better late than never.
By far the standout was grilled corn. The char, caramelized sweetness and buttery melt-in-your-mouth kernels became my obsession. Have you tried it? I tend to jump on trends a little late. I’m a late bloomer — I kept wearing denim overalls years after they faded, wore perms into middle school, and once thought a purple silk shirt with a paisley vest was cool at 14. I even have a hideous poncho in my closet “just in case.” I try to wear a linen scarf in summer and usually look like a dweeb.
Anyway. Too cool for school. That’s me.
Grilled corn is the bees’ knees. It gets charred and caramelized, sweet and slightly smoky — the kind of corn that perfectly complements butter and salt. It took several tries to get it right. Early attempts left corn tasting like an ashtray when we cooked it too close to the flames. Other times we were timid and cooked on too-low heat, ending up with bland, unremarkable ears. Eventually we nailed it: juicy bicolor corn with a few charred specks of caramel. Perfection.
It became a thing. A serious thing.
The habit turned into an addiction and, admittedly, some waste — I was grilling a dozen ears for two people. We needed more ways to use grilled corn beyond the simple joy of eating it off the cob.
So I started grilling tomatoes too, and the result was incredible. Messy, but seriously delicious. Simple grilled vegetables transformed into fantastic, effortless meals.
Grilled Corn and Tomato Fettuccine
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Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat fettuccine
- 4 large ears of corn
- 3 vine tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup + 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the grill to high. Remove most of the husks from each ear of corn, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. You can leave some husk on, but I prefer to wrap each ear in a single layer of aluminum foil, slightly loose so I can check for charring. Grill the corn over direct heat, rotating every 5–6 minutes; total time is usually about 30 minutes for the char we like. After the corn goes on the grill, halve the tomatoes, brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down on the grill. I don’t seed or juice my tomatoes — they will stick a bit but the flavor is worth it. Grill tomatoes for about 5 minutes before rotating. Oil and season the green pepper the same way and grill; peppers and tomatoes typically take 6–8 minutes depending on how much char you want.
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Boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and minced garlic. Add the cooked fettuccine to the bowl and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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When the corn is done, unwrap and let cool slightly. Slice the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife. Cut the grilled tomatoes into wedges. Add the corn, tomatoes, and sliced green pepper to the pasta and toss gently. Top with additional Parmesan before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
I appreciate you so much!
Summer rocks my world.